Jaren Jackson Jr. will be the centerpiece of the rebuild as Ja Morant eyes a trade exit
Recently, the The Memphis Grizzlies were shrouded in rumors after ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the team is open to trade involving star point guard Ja Morant. After seeing the return the Atlanta Hawks recently received for Trea Young from the Washington Wizards, fans aren’t exactly expecting the Grizzlies to get a treasure trove in a potential Morant package.
Instead, the Grizzlies can search build around the player already on their roster, as reported by NBA insider Jake Fisher.
“The feeling I have, at this point, is that Memphis wants his rebuild to revolve around it.” Jaren Jackson Jr.,” Fischer reported on Marc Stein’s Substack.
He also pointed out that “the sample size is undoubtedly small, but Memphis produced an encouraging 7-2 record in November during the games Jackson played without Morant.
Jackson Jr. may not profile as a typical building block, considering this is his eighth year in the league after being selected fourth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. However, his unique skill set and status as a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year could certainly be intriguing qualities to build a team around.
Fisher also noted that “a number of rival executives have been whispering about Jackson all season … trying to whisper that there is, maybe, the 26-year-old looking for a way out.”
It’s certainly easy to see why teams with a more developed infrastructure might want to add a player like Jackson to the fold, bringing a unique combination of outside shooting, defensive versatility and rim-running ability.
Overall, the Grizzlies are currently 16-22 in 2025-26, well below where they were hoping to be at this point in the campaign. Memphis will next take the floor on Sunday afternoon against the Brooklyn Nets.
2026-01-11 16:17:00
